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When I was new to raising dogs, a veterinarian told me that dogs always get diarrhea, and it's no big deal. He's also the vet who told me that it's normal for a cat to vomit once a day and that Rodrigo would die shortly after his third birthday.
Well, he was wrong. Switching my cat to freeze-dried food stopped the daily vomiting, and Rodrigo lived to 13-1/2. I no longer take my dogs to that veterinarian.
Diarrhea is a part of raising dogs, but we're not always dealing with diarrhea. After having lived with our dogs for years, I know what triggers diarrhea, and I've learned how to stop my dog's diarrhea quickly.
Why My Dogs Get Diarrhea
There are many reasons why a dog will have diarrhea. In my case, I've noticed it as a side effect of eating certain foods, taking certain medications, getting into something they shouldn't have, or poor gut health. I've learned that the following will lead to diarrhea with my dogs:
Green Tripe
Green tripe is fantastic, and when I was a new raw feeder, I thought I'd feed my dogs a full meal of green tripe once a week. Yeah, that won't work with my dogs because although tripe is a healthy protein, it's also rich, and feeding too much leads to loose stool and diarrhea.
Too Much Organ Meat
When doing meal prep, I start with 80/10/10 – 80% muscle meat, 10% bone, and 10% organ meat. This isn't their full diet, just the start. But sometimes, I add more organ meat because that's where so many good nutrients reside. This is fine with my adult dogs, but when Scout and Zoey were puppies, extra organ meat led to explosive diarrhea.
Medications
Some sedatives can lead to diarrhea. A couple of my dogs aren't fans of the veterinarian, and I give them sedatives before each appointment. Scout would shake when we arrived at the vet, and since I couldn't go in with him, his doctor thought the sedatives would be best. The only side effect was the diarrhea Scout experienced for a couple of days.
Diarrhea can be a symptom of various health issues, and for that information, I highly encourage you to contact your veterinarian. For this post, I'm focusing on stopping diarrhea in an otherwise healthy dog.
How I Stop My Dog's Diarrhea
1 – Olewo Carrots and FullBucket
If the diarrhea is due to their diet, I adjust it. That's the easy part. But for this to work, I've learned to monitor my dogs whenever I feed them new food. For example, goose meat makes my dogs' stool crazy dark.
If the diet isn't the reason or if, after 24 hours, my dog's stool is still loose, then I do the following:
- Add Olewo Carrots (which stop diarrhea) to a meal; sometimes, I mix in a couple of scoops of FullBucket digestive supplement.
- I add this to both meals for a day or two.
- When my dog produces solid poop, then I put them back on the normal diet. If the stool is still soft, I continue to add Olewo Carrots and FullBucket to their diet for a few more days (at a smaller dosage).
- If I have it, I'll feed the dogs a commercial raw brand on which my dogs consistently do well. I've found that it's always a good idea to have a trusted brand on hand – just in case.
Not all diarrhea is a bad thing. So, I don't race to stop their diarrhea unless I know the cause. Sometimes, diarrhea is a way for the body to get rid of toxins, and I don't want to get in the way. But after 24 hours, if my dog still has diarrhea, I will do something about it. Keep in mind that this is my theory and not medical advice.
What are Olewo Carrots?
A fellow raw feeder recommended Olewo Carrots when Rodrigo was a young dog that couldn't consistently form a solid poop. I ordered a bag from Amazon and was so excited when it worked. After years of changing food, paying vet bills, and eventually transitioning to raw, I found a natural whole-food supplement that did what it claimed.
Olewo Carrots Review
“My dogs had issues with diarrhea since they were born and have been put on all kinds of medications by my vet to control this problem. It works for a while but then back it comes. I have been so frustrated trying to help them with this. I could not get any weight on them either. I changed dog foods many times, to no avail. Then I came across your website and decided to give Olewo a try. After feeding the carrots for only 2 weeks, I cannot tell you what a joy it is for me to write to you about the outcome…no more diarrhea and we have weight gain also! The dogs are looking and acting so much better. Words cannot tell how grateful I am for this amazing miracle. I will always feed it to my babies. ~ Audrey Young – Noir & Blanc Border Collies, CA” ~ Source: OlewoUSA.com
Benefits of Olewo Carrots
Not only do Olewo Carrots put a stop to diarrhea and loose stool, but we also experienced some added benefits.
- Olewo Carrots contributed to healing my dogs' gut.
- Olewo Carrots also helped my dogs when they have constipation or hard, crumbly poop.
- Because Olewo Carrots boosted my dog's gut health, they also contributed to a healthier immune system.
I add a couple of spoonfuls to the bowl, hydrating with hot water and oil (coconut oil, MCT oil, olive oil, avocado oil). I then split this between all four dogs, mixing it into their raw blend. I don't use it daily, just when I notice that one or more of the dogs are dropping loose stool or diarrhea.
2 – Slippery Elm and Pumpkin
Another favorite in our house is slippery elm and organic canned pumpkin (or sweet potato). This is a fiber powerhouse and helps to firm up stool. You can use these individually, but I've found that mixing a couple of capsules of slippery elm into two or three dollops of canned pumpkin (or sweet potato) works well and quickly.
And, my dogs won't eat a slippery elm paste (empty capsules and create a paste using warm water) otherwise.
An alternative to slippery elm is marshmallow root if you have trouble finding the former.
3 – Organic Fiber Supplement
I began adding fiber to my dogs' diet after having Scout's microbiome tested. The fiber is food for the gut bacteria, helping to improve gut health, and it resolves soft stool and slows/stops diarrhea.
I don't use psyllium husk because there are reports of it causing blockages in humans. I don't know how common this is, but one man's story scared me enough that I won't give psyllium husk to my dogs. Instead, they get an organic fiber supplement that contains enzymes and probiotics. My dogs do well on this supplement; I add a small amount (about a pinch or two) to their meals several days a week.
4 – Animal Fur (Cow Ears, Rabbit Feat, Rabbit Ears)
And lastly, I have had success giving animal fur to my dogs. I give animal fur to my dogs when I think diarrhea may be on the way due to medication or because I fed too much green tripe. Animal fur is an excellent source of fiber, and you can find cow ears with fur, rabbit feet, and rabbit ears at local, independent pet stores. I get these treats from Real Dog Box. And stock up on rabbit heads to feed as a meal.
I'm sure that there are many more natural supplements to help with diarrhea. This post shares what's worked consistently for my dogs. Feel free to share in the comments what has worked for your dogs. Thanks!
Really helpful
I read your article on How I Stopped My Dogs Diarrhea I like the info you gave its very helpful Olewo Carrots and Fullbuckets and Animal Fur, I notice my dogs get diarrhea when I change to a new food so I learned to avoid that is to mix the new food and the old food half and half for about a week and they don’t get diarrhea if that helps Thanks for the info very helpful…..
http://dogcathomeprepareddiet.com/diet_and_gastrointestinal_diseas.html Dr. Strombeck also offers a controlled diet for the treatment of gastrointestinal (in addition to being a DVM he has a research PhD with a specialty in gastrointestinal stuff.
Another resource for you or others.
He has some good information, too, on the role of fats as well with such symptoms. Looks like you have had good luck with your regimen!!!